<p>How the heck are you managing to use a $99 companion fare? Unless it’s on Alaska’s credit card, they are easy to use. But if it’s Delta, I have only one time, in YEARS have been able to use that companion pass. Even now that I have a free one. It is never available on the route or day that I want to use it. Maybe they allow one companion pass per decade to be used.</p>
<p>I finally used one last fall, and saved me a whole lot of money, to and from smaller airports. But yes, Delta books fast. I hoped to use Delta pay with miles for this trip, and no way.</p>
<p>since you are flying & your son is a music fan.
[Sea-Tac</a> Airport to feature Pearl Jam, Macklemore & more](<a href=“http://networkedblogs.com/t7x5U]Sea-Tac”>http://networkedblogs.com/t7x5U)</p>
<p>H went to Seattle a lot on business and I traveled with him ( yes the $99 companion ticket) a few summers ago. Loved it! We stayed Downtown and did the Space Needle, Pike Place, walked along the waterfront etc</p>
<p>On a whim we took a seaplane from Lake Washington to Orca Island… and spent 2 nights there. Maybe one of my fav trips we have ever taken.</p>
<p>We’ll be in Seattle for a few days before boarding a cruise ship to Alaska in June… So far we’re planning Mt. Renier and the volcano at Saint Helen (sp?). Not a major expedition, just a day each. As I’m an aviation fan, there’s an aviation museum, Needle, Fish Market, Costco Headquarters (they better give tours to their super customers :-)), visit some buddies at Microsoft…</p>
<p>When the kids were younger we did an upper west coast trip. Seattle was fun (fish market etc.) but when I saw a brochure for the Olympic Peninsula I knew we HAD to go there. Drove around it and stopped where it looked good to hike. It’s a “temperate rain forest” and is absolutely magical, with Spanish moss hanging from the trees, and the trees are HUGE. Got some great photos of all 4 kids inside hollow trees.</p>
<p>turbo, you definitely hit everything in my Seattle highlights list.</p>
<p>Busdriver11, you know I haven’t even made the reservations yet. I just assumed that since our dates are not on their blackout dates list, we should be ok. This is our first time trying to use so I guess I better give them a call. </p>
<p>Based on your responses, I am thinking may be we’ll be better off if we make this trip in the summer - July-August time frame to try to avoid the rainy weather.</p>
<p>Thank you for the great ideas! Will definitely be writing them all down and trying to put together an itinerary. We usually travel with a group so this is my first time actually trying to plan everything myself. </p>
<p>We are flying from Philadelphia.</p>
<p>Thank you everybody!</p>
<p>It helps my boss is from Seattle, also an office mate, and I’ve paid pilgrimage to Microsoft a few times :-). </p>
<p>First time I visited Seattle about 12 years ago I drove around for fun to see if strip malls had (as we had been told in fly-over country) two Starbucks, one at each end. They did :-)</p>
<p>Another museum opening in June:</p>
<p>[LeMay</a> Museum > The New Museum](<a href=“http://www.lemaymuseum.org/page.php?id=64]LeMay”>http://www.lemaymuseum.org/page.php?id=64)</p>
<p>Turbo, at one point there were 3 Starbucks on the corners of one intersection in Pioneer Square. Naturally, the fourth one was occupied by a Tully’s. Just like H&M stores in the center of Stockholm!</p>
<p>In that case, you should do homage to *Fremont, Center of the Universe *, Google,Adobe,Amazon (across the bridge), etc. Burke-Gilman Trail. Get some rental bicycles (nearby the GasWorks) and pedal up to UW-UnionBay and then back down to the Sound. It’s flat.</p>
<p>Excellent suggestion, LongPrime! The Center of the Universe is as quirky as it gets. Stroll along the ship canal connecting Lake Union and the Sound, watch drawbridges go up letting sailboats through, peek into Theo’s Chocolates factory to sample some delicious sweets (and maybe go on a tour!), walk past the bronze founder of communism, go up the hill under the Aurora bridge and say hi to the ■■■■■.</p>
<p>skip, St. Helen. Go to Portland instead for less time. </p>
<p>She, St Helen got mad. Blew her top off. (really “was” the prettiest of the Cascade peaks). Nice Indian lore about St Helen. Its a couple of hours south of Seattle, and then a couple of hours to get to the viewing areas.</p>
<p>“Turbo, at one point there were 3 Starbucks on the corners of one intersection in Pioneer Square. Naturally, the fourth one was occupied by a Tully’s.”</p>
<p>Hey, try the University Village where there are 4 Starbucks within half a block. There’s a spot you can stand on in the parking lot and see all 4. Two stand alones, and one in Barnes and Noble and QFC. And they’re all full!</p>
<p>Didn’t mean to scare you about the ticket, Emily. If it’s an Alaska companion pass, no problem. But yeah, Delta, check into that early and be flexible with those dates! July and Aug are definitely a good bet. Especially late July and Aug. But you never know.</p>
<p>And as far as Fremont, sure, visit the ■■■■■ but…not on the day of the summer solstice parade. You might see Longprime there on a bike or on skates, weaving in and out of the audience. Naked. Or with painted private parts. Some things shouldn’t be painted stripes. And the only part I’m kidding about is seeing Longprime (though it’s a distinct possibility).</p>
<p>After years of complaining, finally got H.Schultz-Starbucks, to have a mild roast coffee. Blond Veranda, isn’t bad, pretty good, on par with DunkinDonuts. </p>
<p>Mid July I should be on the Oregon Coast or if I visit DS, helping do some urban farming.</p>
<p>If you like coffee- there are alternatives to Starbucks ( in Seattle)
[Best</a> Seattle Coffee Houses (INeedCoffee.com)](<a href=“http://www.ineedcoffee.com/07/seattle/]Best”>http://www.ineedcoffee.com/07/seattle/)
lists some of my favorites.
If you are thinking about early August- be aware the fleet will be in & tourists galore.
[url=<a href=“http://www.seafair.com/news.aspx?ID=162&Mon=8&Yr=2011]Seafair[/url”>http://www.seafair.com/news.aspx?ID=162&Mon=8&Yr=2011]Seafair[/url</a>]</p>
<p>If you stop in Bellingham for coffee, check out The Woods Coffee (Google it); we find them much better than Starbucks. There is even one just before the border crossing at Exit 270.</p>
<p>Wasn’t the world’s best donut shop in Seattle somewhere?</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.toppotdoughnuts.com/[/url]”>http://www.toppotdoughnuts.com/</a></p>
<p>(one of the food channels on cable praised it a couple years ago…)</p>
<p>Speaking of Seattle, is there any humane way to get from SeaTac to Cruise Port 91? I can take the mass transit thingie from SeaTac to Nordstrom but there’s no other way to get to '91. Just one person…</p>
<p>Let me double check, but I think you can take Metro bus 33 or 24 from Westlake park. There are are quite a few tech and bio companies located in that area, including Amgen with its infamous double helix bridge across train tracks, so I assume Metro has a few stops in that area. 
Let me do some digging. In the worst case scenario, you can call Yellow Cab. </p>
<p>The “mass transit thingie” from Seatac is actually very nice. Best ride $2.75 (?) can buy (I have an annual pass for all local transit, so not sure about the price).</p>